English · Phrasal verb Attested

seize up

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To stop functioning; to come to a halt.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ngừng hoạt động

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

cứng lại và khó di chuyển

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ngừng hoạt động đột ngột

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

What does “seize up” mean?

To stop functioning; to come to a halt.

Is “seize up” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.